OCTOBER GARDEN ‘TO-DO’ LIST

Claudette Sims – Halton Master Gardener

1. Perennials – Divide or transplant overcrowded or underperforming perennials as the weather cools & water in the new divisions well. For species specific instructions consult this list. Leave perennials uncut for native bees and birds.
2. Lawn, Leaves & Weeds – Rake or “mow” leaves and remove to garden beds. Leave some leaves uncut for beneficial insects and pollinators who overwinter in leaf litter. Keep on weeding as long as soil is workable. When mowing is done for the season, clean mower and sharpen blades.
3. Bulbs – Continue to plant spring flowering bulbs such as crocus, tulip, hyacinth & daffodil now, until before freeze up of soil. Water bulbs after planting. Please do NOT plant Scilla as it spreads quickly, is extremely difficult to control and is in Category 3  on the invasive plant list.
4. General Clean up – shed, garage, patio, garden etc. Donate unused tools & repair, recycle or throw away broken items. Drain & store hoses & turn off water supply. Clean & store/cover pots, watering cans etc. to prevent cracking during freeze up. Cover ponds with netting before leaf fall or remove leaves in the pond with a bamboo rake.
5. Feed the Soil – Empty your compost bin into gardens and cover bare soil with organic matter such as compost, leaves, straw, mulch or manure.
6. Garlic – Plant from end of October to mid November up until ground freezes. Complete details here!
7. Young Trees – Mulch young trees with wood chips. To reduce rodent & rabbit damage, use spiral tree guards & trim grass around tree.
8. Seeds – Continue to collect seed for next year’s garden. Prepare containers for winter sowing of vegetables or perennials. Grow butterflies by sowing seeds of their larval host plants! See the October issue of CROSS POLLINATION for more details on collecting seed.
9. HOUSEPLANTS– Decrease watering as the days become shorter. Increase humidity by misting plants. Check for pests weekly.
10. See our September newsletter for any garden jobs that you may have missed.

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